In December of 2016 my family and I decided to handmake Christmas presents. It was a hectic time but lots of fun. Maybe I can post some of the things we made. One of the most important things that happened during this time is my husband introduced me to my new favorite hobby (besides writing). He’d tried to make me a dragon eye following this tutorial (link). However, he failed and never gave me the gift although he did show me the video and I was instantly hooked. All you needed was a cabochon, an assortment of nail polishes, and a poker stick. I didn’t have the proper supplies, just some cheap fish tank rocks, old nail polish, and a steak knife but I carved out my first several pieces anyway.
I was ecstatic and very cocky about the wonderful and amazing things I had created. I showed everyone, friends and family- well- I showed my family (they are my friends… (that’s better than saying I have no friends, right?)). And they all patted me on the back and told me a I did a good job.
But I wasn’t content. I watched the tutorial for real this time, not just skipping ahead a few times and coming out with 6 minutes of a 46-minute tutorial under my belt. And I began producing these.
It was shocking how fast my work progressed from there. I learned different styles and how to get different effects and that types of polishes and color matter. I began investing in nail polish every time I went to town and invested in calibrated cabochons and watched the tutorial 4 more times over the year and now this is some of the work I produce.
Each eye takes between 10 and 45 minutes. I love that it can go from beginning to end so quickly. Being a writer, my projects can run on for years and you don’t feel accomplished or fulfilled sometimes. These things happen in one sitting and I have something to show off and feel proud of.
Dragon Eye Beginnings
In December of 2016 my family and I decided to handmake Christmas presents. It was a hectic time but lots of fun. Maybe I can post some of the things we made. One of the most important things that happened during this time is my husband introduced me to my new favorite hobby (besides writing). He’d tried to make me a dragon eye following this tutorial (link). However, he failed and never gave me the gift although he did show me the video and I was instantly hooked. All you needed was a cabochon, an assortment of nail polishes, and a poker stick. I didn’t have the proper supplies, just some cheap fish tank rocks, old nail polish, and a steak knife but I carved out my first several pieces anyway.
I was ecstatic and very cocky about the wonderful and amazing things I had created. I showed everyone, friends and family- well- I showed my family (they are my friends… (that’s better than saying I have no friends, right?)). And they all patted me on the back and told me a I did a good job.
But I wasn’t content. I watched the tutorial for real this time, not just skipping ahead a few times and coming out with 6 minutes of a 46-minute tutorial under my belt. And I began producing these.
It was shocking how fast my work progressed from there. I learned different styles and how to get different effects and that types of polishes and color matter. I began investing in nail polish every time I went to town and invested in calibrated cabochons and watched the tutorial 4 more times over the year and now this is some of the work I produce.
Each eye takes between 10 and 45 minutes. I love that it can go from beginning to end so quickly. Being a writer, my projects can run on for years and you don’t feel accomplished or fulfilled sometimes. These things happen in one sitting and I have something to show off and feel proud of.